News Releases & Statements


NCCM deeply troubled by recent anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant incidents

Urges authorities to investigate them as potential hate crimes (Ottawa - April 12, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties & advocacy organization, expresses deep concern about a series of reported anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant incidents. In Alberta, two separate incidents of assault against two Syrian refugees were reported this week along with vandalism and arson against a Muslim family. In Ontario, a Windsor woman was subjected to racial slurs and threats and an Ottawa-area Islamic school was vandalized. The ...

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NCCM condemns vicious attack on Sikh man in Quebec City

Calls on authorities to press hate crime charges (Ottawa – April 2, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties & advocacy organization, condemns the vicious attack on an Ontario Sikh man during a visit to Quebec City over the Easter long weekend. According to a media report, which includes video of the assault, Supninder Singh Khehra was looking for a taxi cab with his friends in Quebec City when three young men approached him and began to beat him up, motioning to his turban. One man has been charged with assault. "Ca...

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NCCM welcomes new federal office for community outreach & security issues

Additionally praises restoration of Court Challenges Program (Ottawa - March 23, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties & advocacy organization, welcomes the federal government's creation of a new office to engage with communities on security and counter-radicalization matters, as well as the restoration of federal funding for the Court Challenges Program. The federal budget released yesterday announced funding for an Office of the Community Outreach and Counter-radicalization Coordinator under Public Safety Canada. ...

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NCCM condemns attacks in Brussels

(Ottawa - March 22, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties & advocacy organization, condemns today's horrific attacks in Belgium following similar terror attacks in Turkey. The terror group Daesh has claimed responsibility. In a statement issued today, NCCM Executive Director Ihsaan Gardee said: "Canadian Muslims categorically condemn these horrific attacks and all acts of terrorism wherever and whenever they occur. There is no justification of any kind for such criminal acts. We stand united with our fellow ...

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NCCM condemns attack on military personnel in Toronto

Praises police chief for speaking out against Islamophobia (Ottawa – March 15, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties and advocacy organization, condemns yesterday’s attack on two members of the Canadian Forces in Toronto. A 27-year-old male has been arrested and charged with several criminal offences following the stabbings at a military recruitment centre in Toronto on Monday afternoon. During the attack, the individual reportedly said: "Allah told me to do this, Allah told me to come here and kill people." Two military ...

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NCCM: Announcement on cross-border travel a step forward but privacy and civil liberties still a concern

(Ottawa – March 11, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties and advocacy organization, expressed cautious optimism about yesterday’s announcement by the Prime Minister of Canada that the federal government intends to work more closely with the United States to ensure Canadians who face difficulties travelling will have adequate avenues for redress. The agreement was concluded during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s official visit with US President Barack Obama this week. “Our two countries have also agreed to create a ...

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Canadian human rights groups call for national security reform

(Ottawa - March 10, 2016) In two separate letters sent yesterday to federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, a coalition of Canadian human rights organizations including the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), laid out recommendations with respect to national security reform in Canada. The first letter proposes seven principles to guide the government's approach to anticipated upcoming consultations with respect to national security reforms, which the organizations stress must go beyond Bill C-51. The first letter reads, in part, "The Canadian Muslim ...

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NCCM welcomes Toronto Star’s decision to use “Daesh” instead of the “Islamic State”

Calls on other media outlets and politicians to consider doing the same (Ottawa – March 3, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties and advocacy organization welcomes today’s announcement by the Toronto Star that it will only use the term “Daesh” to describe the terrorist group often referred to as the “Islamic State” or “ISIS” or “ISIL”. Daesh is the acronym for the long-form Arabic title of the group, al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham. The Toronto Star made the announcement in today’s issue ...

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NCCM welcomes federal government’s repeal of Bill C-24

(Ottawa – February 26, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties and advocacy organization today welcomes changes to the Citizenship Act that reverses previous amendments that created two-tiered citizenship. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Minister John McCallum introduced Bill C-6, the Citizenship Act Amendments Act yesterday, which included the repealing of provisions that would revoke citizenship of dual citizens convicted of terrorism offences. “The former government created two classes of citizens with Bill ...

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NCCM condemns latest anti-Muslim, anti-Syrian vandalism at Calgary school

Urges Police to investigate incident as an alleged hate crime (Ottawa – February 21, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties & advocacy organization, condemns the latest vandalism at a Calgary school and urges Calgary police to investigate the incident as a hate crime. According to a media report, black spray-paint was used to scrawl hateful messages on the walls of a southeast Calgary school. The messages were both anti-Syrian and anti-Muslim, and included a threat against the Prime Minister of Canada. Windows were also ...

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